By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com


A new independent senior living facility in Hartland Township is one step away from getting shovels in the ground.

Kevin Brown, Vice President of Development with PIRHL, was before the Hartland Township Planning Commission, Thursday. He was seeking a recommendation of final site plan approval from commissioners for the proposed Hartland Senior Living facility.

Brown said the township doesn’t really have a label for this type of development- some call it “senior independent living,” or “congregate care.” He told commissioners it’s really being offered to seniors looking to down style, looking for a lifestyle change, and looking for supports next to them. He said there is significant demand and they completed a market study that shows low capture and penetration rates.

The facility will be located on 17.9 acres between Bullard Road and Fenton Road, north of M-59. It will be bordered by Heritage Park on the east and a professional office building to the west. Hartland Senior Living will be a single 3-story building covering roughly 176,000 square feet. Planning Commissioner Keith Voight said he liked how they designed the front portion to be 1-story, which relatively hides the 3-story portion of the structure behind it.

A total of 146 units, split between one and two bedrooms will be available, with 64 of them being offered at a lower market rate for seniors who qualify. Brown said this allows their residents who have retired to preserve and stretch their saving later into life.

There will be a full time activities director and concierge on staff, with a fitness center, activity rooms, shuttle bus transportation and room for third party uses like a beauty shop available.

With unanimous approval, the final site plan now goes to the full Board of Trustees for consideration at a future meeting. Brown said that if all goes as planned, they hope to start the 20-month construction project next Spring, and open it up to residents by early 2024.